How to Downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3 Using iFaith

When we enumerated the reasons why you shouldn't install iOS 7 right away, we cited the inability to downgrade as one of the reasons. Well, that isn't entirely true because you can actually downgrade back to iOS 6.x.x from iOS 7, but it is only possible for iPhone 4 users. And as per usual, we will be providing a detailed guide on how to downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3 using iFaith.

Before You Proceed:

iFaith is a tool which is only available for Windows users.

It is only possible to downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3 if you have an iPhone 4. Other iOS 7 devices are not supported.

Downgrading is only possible if you have saved the iOS 6.1.3 SHSH blobs. Firmware lower than iOS 6.1.3 are also supported, provided that you have the required blobs (also the better option if you are planning to jailbreak).

This method requires that you create a custom firmware and restore to it, so it will take plenty of time.

After downgrading iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3, you can only restore to a backup that's only compatible with iOS 6.1.3. So it is suggested that you manually backup your files as you may lose some data that you've saved while in iOS 7.

Do an iOS 7 backup via iTunes or iCloud just for good measure.

How to Downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3 using iFaith:

Download iFaith for Windows using this link and unzip the zipped file.

Download the iOS 6.1.3 IPSW file from this post, or you can download any iOS 6.x.x that you wish to downgrade to (iFaith has a built-in tool that can download firmware files for you).

For this process, you need to have iTunes 11.0.5 or lower. iTunes 11.1 or later doesn't support custom firmware restore. So uninstall iTunes 11.1.x from your computer (make sure you remove all traces of iTunes), restart, and then download iTunes 11.0.5 from OldApps.com. Install iTunes 11.0.5 in your computer.

Plug your iPhone, launch iFaith and click the OK button. This will take you to the main menu. This guide will assume that you have saved the required blobs locally. So click Build *signed* IPSW w/ Blobs.

NOTE: If you wish to check which SHSH blobs are available for your iPhone, click Show Available SHSH Caches on Server, then after your device has been detected, click Show list of available SHSH blobs on TSS server(s). From here, you can choose to download all the available blobs to be used for building the custom firmware.

You will then be asked to browse for the SHSH blobs, click the button and browse for the SHSH file you wish to downgrade to and click Open.

From here, you can browse for the IPSW file you wish to downgrade into or you can have iFaith download it for you. Once you have chosen the IPSW file, iFaith will verify the IPSW file and on the next screen click Build IPSW.

iFaith will now build the custom firmware which should take a long while. Once it's done, iFaith will show you a message that it has “finished creating your custom “signed” IPSW.” Click Ok.

How to Restore Your iPhone 4 to iOS 6.1.3 (iOS 6.x.x):

Now that you have your custom firmware, it's time to restore. First, you'll need to put your device in Pwned DFU mode.

For this, you can simply use iFaith's built-in iREB tool for putting your device in Pwned DFU mode. For a more detailed guide on how to do this, check out our previous iFaith guide, procedure should remain the same.

Once you have placed your device in Pwned DFU mode, launch iTunes 11.0.5 without disconnecting the device.

Select the device from the left panel, hold the SHIFT key and click the Restore button. Browse for the custom firmware we have made earlier.

This will restore your iPhone to iOS 6.1.3 or whichever firmware you decided to downgrade into.

Restore your iOS 6 compatible backup if needed.

As stated, this procedure can take plenty of time but as long as you follow it to a T, you should be able to downgrade iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3 with no problems. Let us know in the comments if run into some problems.